This talk might be of interested to some of you. If you want to sign up, see below for instructions. Bert
From: Hair, Kathleen
Sent: Monday, July 1, 2019 10:15 AM
Cc: Vreese, Claes de;
Helberger, Natali; Araujo, Theo;
Ohme, Jakob; Pauws-Huisink, Margriet;
ivir-all@list.uva.nl
Subject: INVITATION: RPAs Communication & Personalised Communication Lecture by Prof. Lance Bennett, Tuesday, September 3, 15.30-17.00 hours, REC C10.20
ASCoR – Research Priority Areas Communication & Personalised Communication of the University of Amsterdam
INVITATION
Special Lecture:
Beyond
Filter Bubbles: The Radical Right, Digital Media and the Rise of Undemocratic Public Spheres
Professor Lance Bennett
(University of Washington, Seattle)
Tuesday,
September 3, 15.30 to 17.00 hours
followed by drinks
Location:
REC C10.20
Nieuwe Achtergracht 166
1018 WV Amsterdam
Dear ASCoR- and Research Priority Areas Communication & Personalised Communication Members,
We cordially invite you to this lecture in the
RPA Lecture Series, which is being given by Lance Bennett,
Professor of Political Science and Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA,
where he directs the Center for Communication and Civic Engagement (www.engagedcitizen.org).
The focus of his work is on how communication processes affect citizen engagement with politics. His publications include
The Logic of Connective Action: Digital Media and the Personalization of Contentious Politics (with Alexandra Segerberg, Cambridge, 2013). He has held visiting professorships at Harvard University in the US, Uppsala and Stockholm in Sweden, and Free
University, Berlin, and has an honorary doctorate from Uppsala.
Abstract:
Beyond Filter Bubbles: The Radical Right, Digital Media and the Rise of Undemocratic Public Spheres
Many democratic nations are experiencing increased levels of false information circulating through social media and political websites that mimic journalism formats. In many cases, this disinformation is associated
with the efforts of movements and parties on the radical right to mobilize supporters against center parties and the mainstream press that carries their messages. The spread of disinformation can be traced to growing legitimacy problems in many democracies.
Declining citizen confidence in institutions undermines the credibility of official information in the news, and opens publics to alternative information sources. Those sources are often associated with both nationalist (primarily radical right) and foreign
(commonly Russian) strategies to undermine institutional legitimacy and destabilize center parties, governments, and elections. The Brexit campaign in the U.K. and the election of Donald Trump in the U.S. are among the most prominent examples of systematic
disinformation intended to disrupt normal democratic order, but many other nations display signs of disinformation and democratic disruption. Rather than continue calling these developments “populism," I suggest we find more useful concepts and theoretical
frameworks for exploring these developments.
If you plan to attend the lecture, please register by sending an e-mail to
K.H.Hair@uva.nl
On behalf of the Research Priority Areas Communication & Personalised Communication teams,
Best regards,
Prof. dr. Claes de Vreese and dr. Theo Araujo
University of Amsterdam
Amsterdam School of Communication Research / ASCoR
Prof. dr. Natali Helberger
University of Amsterdam
The Institute for Information Law (IViR)
Nieuwe Achtergracht 166
1018 WV Amsterdam